Tool for demountable rims



0. M. RICE.

TOOL FOR DEMOUNTABLE RIMS.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.2I, I92o.

i. .IIIIIII I r I I 1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII y y 1 :'nmw/ :Imm I I A` IIIIIIHl-Il-Illl gz "1mm la OLIVER METCALF RICE, OE BIRMINGHAT/I, ALABAMA.

TOOL FOR DEMOUNTABLE RMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 29, 19217.

i Application mea August 21, 1920. serial No. 405,148.

To @ZZ whom t may concern Be it known that I, OLIVER M. Rien, a citizen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tools for De- Inountable Rims; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvement-s in tools for demountable rims, and more particularly refers to an improved tool for contracting and expanding 4 the demountable wheel rims of automobiles.

Y An obj ect of the invention is to provide an improved construction of framework forthe tool, and of clamps for engagement with the demountable rim to which the tool has connection for expanding and contracting same. v

Another object of the invention lies in providing a compact and durable construction adapted to be placed within a demountable rim and to be supported at a suitable height so as to efectually act upon the rim at opposite sides of its cross-cut.

The invention will be morel fully understood vafter referencel to the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are indicated by similar reference symbols throughout the several views, and in which Y Figure 1 is a side elevation of an improved tool constructed in accordance with the present invention and shown as applied to a rim indicated in dotted lines. o

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with parts shown in section; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof with the clamps removed, and with a portion of the handle broken away.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates the base of the frame which is .preferably formed in one piece of malleable metal, and which is formed of an open construction having the end posts 2 and 3 supporting the top rail 4. The frame is made interiorly with a brace 5, set inwardly a suitable distance from the end post 3 and providing a space between these two members in which to receive and confine a bevel pinion 6, which is provided Awith interior threads to engage a longitudinally shiftable worm shaft 7, passing 'through suitable plain openings made n both the end post 3 and brace 5.

The pinion 6 meshes with` a bevel gear wheel 8 journaled on a stud 9 projecting from a plate 10, which is tted against the frame at one side and adjacent the brace 5: The plate 10 is secured to the base 1 by rivets or other suitable fastenings 11, and 1s bent beneath the base into a substantially U-shaped guide 12 for slidably receiving the bar 13.V Pins 111 on or near the free end of the bar 13 are provided toengage the guide 12 at one side to avoid the withdrawing of the rod 13 therefrom. The rod is thereforel free to slide back and forth beneath the base 1 of the frame.

The end post 15 is bent upwardly from the other end of the bar 13 and is provided with an opening to receive the reduced end 16 of the worm shaft 7, said end being secured therein as by a rivet 17 to prevent the shaft from turning.

The upper end of the post 15 is bent substantially diagonally, as indicated at 18, and carries a pin 19 to engage with a perforation in the rim or in a clamp, as will be hereinafter described.

The top rail 4; of the frame is also cast or otherwise produced with a boss 20, which carries a pin 21 also for engaging an opening in the rim or in the companion clamp, as presently explained vThe two adjacent ends of the rim are indicated at 22 and 23, and the rim cross-cut at 24C. A. handle 25 is employed to turn the bevel gear 8 and for this purpose is mounted on the stud 9 as by a pin 26. .This pin is preferably made so that it may be withdrawn and the handle removed to enable the device to be folded 0r compactly disassembled when placing the same in the tool kit of the automobile. The handle may also be of a foldable variety to serve the same purpose.

, The clamps above referred to are desig- The opposite end of the plate 29 is provided with an elongated slot 33 in which a similar' threaded shank 34 of a hook 35 is fitted, lock nuts 36 being employed at op. posite sides of the plate to hold the hook in the adjusted position. f

Centrally the plate 29 is provided with a perforation to receive either the pins 19 or 21 accordingly as the clamp is used at one or the other side of the cross-cut 24 of the rim. On the side of the plate 29 next the rim and formed about the central opening are a pair of bosses 37 and 38 of a curved construction approaching a circle, being struck fromv the center of the opening.

A foot piece v39 made of a piece of strap metal or other suitable material, bent into a substantially rectangular shape, is connected by rivets or other suitable fastening 40` to the U-shaped guide 12 at that side of the frame opposite to the plate 10.

In use the rim is laid out horizontally on the ground or supporting surface, and if the same is not provided with openings the clamps 27 and 2S are applied thereto 1n the manner shown in Fig. 1. The hooks 31 and 35 are engaged over the flanges of the rim, the slot 33 permitting the adjustment of said hooks to fit rims of different widths. The threaded shanlrs 30and 34 also allow the hooks to be adjusted toward or from the body portion of the plate 29 to accommodate flanges of various thickness.

The clamp in the form shown will allow of its connection to all standard forms of demountable rims. After the clamps have been set in place at opposite sides of the cross-cut 24 the tool is set within the rim, being allowed to rest upon the foot piece 39 which holds it at the required elevation, permitting the pins 19 and21 to enter the central openings in the clamps.

The handle/25 is thereupon turned', imparting rotation to the bevel gear wheel 8. This latter gear wheel 8- with the pinion 6 will impart rotary motion thereto which will result in the feeding of the shaft 7 longitudinally through the frame. Upon returning` the handle in a proper direction theshaft '.7 will be fed outwardly, thus carrying the bar 13 and post 15 away from the end posty 3 of the frame.

It will be understood that this movement is accompanied by a spreading of thev through the post 20, and a similar hook 43 is flexibly carried by a chain 44 secured to the post 15. These latter hooks may or may not be mounted in conjunction with the remaining parts, but they will act to engage with the sides of the rim and to draw the same out ofl alinement or to engage directly with open- IlgS ll the rim, or with parts of the clamps which are set at' more widely separated points, not show-n in Figs. 1 and 2.

The tool may be used for breaking the rim by placing the same substantially diametrically across such rim with the point 1 en gaging the inner surface of the rim and with the hook 41 engaged over one of the flanges of such rim. The hook 43 will be engaged over Ythe flange of the rim at a point thereof opposite that at which the hook 41 engages. Vith the tool in this position a sharp. pull upon the same or a partially quick rotation thereof will cause the rim ends to be pulled past each other at the joint so as to put the rim into condition to be contracted. Then again where rims are very stiff the hooks 41'and 43 are used in 90 combination with the pins so as to have a double engagement with the rim.

Of course the clamps. are not necessary where holes for the pins 12 and 19 are drilled directly in the rim; the clamps are, however, useful where the rims. have not as yet been provided with such holes, the idea being to j furnish purchasers of the tool with clamps until they are able to have their rims drilled with the necessary holes to receive the pins.

It will be obvious that various modifications might be made in the herein described apparatus, andY in the construction, combina* tionand arrangement of' parts which could be used Without departing from the spirit o f my invention; and IY donot mean to limit the invention to such ldetails except as pa-rticularly pointed, out in the claims. i

Having thus described my invention what I claim., and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 11o ent ofv the United States is Y 1. A toolof the character described comprising apair of clamps adapted.v to besecured at opposite sides of the cross-cut of a rim, and each composed of. elongated plates having openings therein, hooks adjustably carried by said plates and adapted to lit about the flanges of the rim, a frame adapted to rest within therim, a pi-n on said frame engageable with the opening inY one of said clamps, al second'pin movablefwith re-` spect to the frame, and adaptedv to fit in the opening of the other clamp, and means for causing the separation of' said pins and their movement together, substantially as described. Y

2. A tool of` the. character described.l comprising a pair of clamps adapted to embrace the rim at opposite sides of its cross-cut, said clamps having intermediate and endL openings therein, hooks carried by the end openings, pins for receiving the intermediate openings, and means to move said pins apart and toward each other, substantially as described.

3. A device of the class described comprising a pair of clamps associated for relative movement and including adjustably disposed coperating hooks, relatively movable pins detachably connected With'said clamps, and manually operable gear mechanism for shifting said pins apart and together substantially as described.

4. A device 'of the kind described comprising clamps having openings With curved and raised bossesv extending thereabout adapted to engage the interior surface of the rim, hooks carried by said clamps for engaging the sides of the rim, and means for shifting theclamps upward and away fromeach other substantially as described.

5. A tool for use in connection With demountable rims comprising a frame, a guard extending beneath the frame'and at the sides thereof, a foot piece secured to the guard at one side of the frame, a bevel gear Wheel journaled on the guard at its opposite side, a bar sliding relatively to the frame Within the guard, a screw shaft attachedto the bar and movable through the frame, a pinion having internal engagement with the spiral shaft and external engagement With said gear, a detachable handle to turn the gear, and clamps carried respectively by the frame and said bar for engaging with the Wheel rim substantially as described.A

OLIVER METGALF RICE.' y 

